Battens are used extensively with sails, such as on sailboats, to support and/or shape the sails. Depending upon the sail and the use of the sail, various arrangements of battens are utilized, such as a full battened sail, a staggered full battened sail, or a partial battened sail. For example, racing sailboats use high performance sails with a high degree of roach which usually require battens along the leech edges of the sails to maintain the proper shaped of the sails.
In partial battened sails, battens are usually coupled to the sail body by pockets extending from the leech edge of the sail only a part of the entire length of the sail. On the other hand, full battened sails have battens coupled to the sail body by pockets that extend the entire length of the sail, i.e., from the leech edge to the luff edge. Typically, the battens of a full battened sail are longer than the length of their respective pockets for compressing and bowing the batten in the pocket to obtain the desired curvature of the sail between its leech and luff edges.
Examples of prior sails with battens are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,077,685 to Gerhardt; 3,557,733 to Mathieu et al; 4,535,825 to Hackney; 4,633,798 to Skinner et al; 4,699,073 to Farneti; 4,838,192 to Stevenson, IV et al; and 4,881,480 to Stevenson, IV. However, these prior sails have several disadvantages.
For example, full battens are often quite large and difficult to handle and install into the pockets. Moreover, these large battens are difficult and costly to ship to customers and to store by the customers. Large battens are also more costly to manufacture and to replace if broken. Also, these prior sails typically require specially designed battens for varying the stiffness along the length of the battens. Furthermore, most prior sails have their batten pockets opening and closing at their ends for inserting the batten. Accordingly, these types of sail pockets must be specially constructed to withstand the load of the batten therein, which is usually held under compression by the pocket. Another problem with many of these prior sails is tearing of the sail by the battens during heavy loads due to high or gusty winds.
In view of the above, it is apparent that there exists a need for an improved batten assembly which provides greater flexibility in sail configuration, simpler batten installation and which is relatively inexpensive. This invention addresses these needs in the art along with other needs which will be come apparent to those skilled in the art once given this disclosure.